Wike berates critics of First Lady’s honorary degree

The Supervising Minister of Education, Nyesom Wike, yesterday faulted those criticising the First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan, for the honorary doctorate degree conferred on her by a university in South Korea.

The minister said the criticisms were “not only out of place, but bereft of common sense”.

Critics of the award had claimed that it was ill-timed and improper for the First Lady to receive it when Nigerian universities were shut down because of the strike by Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).

Wike said there was nothing wrong with the action of the First Lady since it was the university that extended the gesture to her.

The minister said the award was in recognition of the First Lady’s humanitarian services and the fight against cyber crimes.

He said: “One will not necessarily bother himself because most of these critics do not understand how governance operates.

“The mere fact that ASUU is not on campus does not mean all activities of government would be grounded.

“It does not also mean that other workers of the universities are not working. They are working; the only thing is that academic activities are not taking place.

“So, if other institutions all over the world want to honour the First Lady for her contribution to mankind, I do not see anything wrong with that.

“That ASUU is on strike does not mean all universities are on strike. University of Ilorin is a public university but they are not on strike.

“There are also other private universities in this country. So, to me such criticism is completely out of place; it does not make any sense,” he stated.

He also appealed to the ASUU members to shift grounds on their demands, just the way government had done, in order to end the four months strike.

He noted that the demands of the teachers had been there for over 20 years.

Stressing that it was impossible for the government to fully fund the tertiary institutions, he advocated financial autonomy for the institutions.